


Meredith Grey

by thefictionaleconomist



Category: Classic Alice (Web Series)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-08
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-24 14:51:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2585357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefictionaleconomist/pseuds/thefictionaleconomist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to 'James Marsden', taking place when Heather gives Andrew the ultimatum post-Halloween ball.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meredith Grey

Grand declarations of love never looked this complicated in the movies. They always seemed to occur in wide open halls or in crowds that magically parted for the hero. They did not involve elbowing your way through sweaty college students or tottering on stilettos that seemed like a really good idea three hours and four drinks ago.

  
When Heather finally made her way out of the Halloween party, Andrew was standing on the steps outside the hall, swaying slightly and peering out into darkness of the campus. It was disconcertingly quiet out here after the throbbing music inside and the October wind made Heather shiver. She stopped in the doorway, waiting for him to turn around. He didn’t.

  
“You left.”

  
His back stiffened and he turned around. He looked like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, adorably worried and forcing a smile to chase away that worry. Her heart did that flip, the flip she always imagined would happen when she found the right guy. Her fairy tale ending in a pirate shirt and eyeliner, real as could be.

  
He took a step toward her, reaching out as if to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear and then apparently thinking better of it, pulled away. “I can explain.”

  
“Does that explanation have anything to do with a certain newly elected student council president who went running from the room about five minutes after her win was announced?” Heather leaned against the door frame, tilting her head to look up at Andrew, willing herself to keep her face calm. Tears weren’t part of the plan tonight.

  
The smile was gone on his face now, but the worry lines were still there as he said, “I had to help a…”

  
“You had to help a friend. I know. That’s what you said when you left with Alice after the last dance. And when you bailed on our date to make campaign posters for her. And when you cancelled dinner to … you know, I don’t actually know what you were doing that time. For once in your life, you didn’t catch on film the reason you bailed on me for Alice. ”

  
She’s shaking now and it’s partially because of the cold and partially because she’s dizzy from the drinks, but mostly because she’s angry. She steps forward, until she’s right in front of her boyfriend who won’t look at her, who won’t say anything, won’t do anything except shake his head.

  
“I thought I could do this. Last week, when you came to me, when you said there was nothing there, that you wanted to be with me. I thought that was going to be enough. But it’s not.” She laid her hand on his cheek, feeling the muscles in his jaw clench under her touch. She took a deep breath and , hoping it would come out the way it did when it played in her head, said, “So here it is. Your choice? It’s simple. Her or me. And I’m sure she’s really great. But Andrew, I like you. In a really, really big, pretend to like your taste in films, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your window, unfortunate way that makes me hate you, like you. So pick me. Choose me. Love me.”

  
He pulled back from her. And laughed, a dry, tired sounding laugh that made the pit of her stomach fall out beneath her. “What is this? Are you quoting something? What are you doing?”

  
She swallowed and stood up straighter. “I’m serious. Her or me. Either stop doing your film, your whatever living books thing documentary and stop hanging around Alice Rackham, or stop dating me.”

  
He reached for her, snaking a hand around her waist, and said, “Heather, you’ve had too much to drink. I’ve had too much to drink. We shouldn’t talk about this now. You don’t know what you’re asking.”

  
This time, it was her pulling away from him with a mulish look on her face that was completely foreign from her usual expression. “No. I’m serious.”

  
He ran his hands through his hair and stepped back, leaning against one of the columns lining the hall’s steps. “You know it’s my senior film project. I can’t just stop doing it.”

  
“Bull shit.” The curse sounded strange coming from her lips even to her own ears, but desperate times called for strong language. “That’s a coward’s answer and you know it. You’ve filmed, what, three books already this semester? You’ve got to have over an hour of footage just on your youtube channel, never mind that folder labeled Alice on your computer which must have days worth of footage. And tonight could provide just the happy ending to the story you need. Heck, I bet Alice is filming back in her room right now, giving your viewers the closure on Ewan’s downfall they need. More than enough with some editing to be a full-length feature film, never mind a senior project.”

  
Andrew looked out at the campus, quiet other than the faint beat of the music’s bass coming from instead the hall. Almost no one was out on the paths, everyone was either sleeping in their rooms or in the hall behind them, oblivious to their tiny world breaking outside. Quietly, so quietly, she could barely hear him, he said, “She’s my best friend. You can’t ask me to do this.”

  
Carefully, hoping that her heels would not betray her in this moment of need, she stepped down the stairs until she stood underneath him. “And I’m your girlfriend. I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”

  
And with that, she turned and walked down the steps, determined not to look back. She would have made it if he hadn’t called after her, the bitterness in his voice biting at her back.

  
“You can’t just say that, can’t just quote a romantic comedy, give an ultimatum like that, and leave. This isn’t a movie, Heather.”

She paused, turned and looked back at him. “I can tell the difference between a film and real life, Andrew. The question is, can you?”

This time she didn’t look back.


End file.
